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This year it really feels like we’ve hit our stride after accomplishing some major goals! (Can we get a woop! woop!?) But this didn’t happen by chance. It happened because we got crystal clear on a few things:

What our goals are

How to reach them

Monitoring them to make sure we’re on the right track

But we also paired this with focusing on being in the right mindset as much as we possibly could or getting back into a positive mindset after having an off day (because let’s be real, this can happen when unexpected things come up as a business owner!). Our new strategic way of thinking and running our business has been such a game changer that we can’t keep it a secret! We’re sharing the exact steps and tactics we take on a yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily basis to crush our pretty lofty goals!

Yearly

We always, always, always start by setting our bigggg yearly goals. What’s our yearly revenue goal? Our website traffic goals? Goals for our social media, email list, and more. And we try to be as specific as possible! Instead of saying we just want to increase our revenue. We give ourselves an actual number. That way we can measure it throughout the entire year.

To figure out what these goals should be, we use our data from the previous year. We look at our growth in all of the above numbers to see what a realistic goal (but still a bit of a reach because it should be a bit of a challenge!) is and we set those goals based off that information.

After we have our goals set, we take a bit of time to reflect some more on the past year. We write down every single strategy that worked over the last year and identify which provided us with the best ROI. This way we not only know what our goals are but what we need to do to get there.

Now that we know what we’ll be focused on for the year ahead, we like to give ourselves a word or phrase for the year. I personally like to make it a word of action so I know what my focus is throughout the entire year. For example, this past year’s word was impact and my word for the coming year will be unstoppable. I like to make sure it’s something that correlates to my goals (personally and professionally) for the year.

And last but not least, when we’re setting our yearly goals, we break those numbers down to know where we need to achieve each quarter for each of those goals. This way we know if we’re on track for the year when we check in during Q1, Q2, and Q3. We also do the same for a monthly basis as well… this way we the monthly figures we need to hit to stay on track.

Monthly

Now that we have our monthly figures, it’s time make sure we do everything we can to hit those numbers! I loveeee to start every single month (or end the month) by filling out one of our monthly intentions worksheets. This is where I give myself a word/phrase for the month, share what I’m grateful for from the last month, what I want to focus on and even say no to for the upcoming month, share something new I want to try, and set my goals for the month. This helps get me in a great mindset to take on my goals!

We also spend time looking over our yearly goals and then check our analytics and numbers so we know where we stand for the month ahead. Where are we in terms of our quarterly numbers? Did we hit the right numbers last month? Do we need to re-strategize when it comes to a certain area of our business?

All of this comes into play as we look at the month ahead and then we recalculate any numbers necessary. For example, since we have monthly recurring revenue (MRR), we will calculate how much more after that MRR we have to make to hit our monthly revenue goal. Then we’ll plan out if we need 1 website project, 2 website projects, a branding project, etc. to reach our goal. That way we have an idea of how we can reach that overall monthly goal. We also like to keep an eye on that quarterly number as well. If we had a little bit of a slower month, we might need to readjust what we need to make for this month to still hit that number. And if we had an awesome month, we know that any extra from that is just extra for the entire year!

I personally like to do this either at the end of the month or at the very beginning of each month. That way I know on the 1st what we need to accomplish in the coming month. However, you can do this with the moon cycles (set your goals at the new moon and harvest them at the full moon). I’m starting to get into the moon cycles a bit more but use them as more of a check in point throughout the month. I’ll revisit my goals during each moon cycle and figure out what else needs to be done for the remainder of the month to reach them.

However what you choose to do it is totally up to you! This is just what works for us but I think the most important piece is to continuously check in and recalculate so you know where you stand!

Weekly

You guessed it, I like to start each week by checking our analytics and numbers and recalculate if needed. While I never change our BIG goals, we do have some goals that I will adjust on my own. For example, I usually will say something like, ok this month I want to grow our Instagram account by 1,000. But then I realize halfway through the month that’s not exactly attainable with the amount of client work we have so I’ll readjust accordingly. This number isn’t as important to me as our revenue or engagement numbers so I’m more comfortable being flexible on this one.

But when you check in with your analytics for the month and are looking at the week ahead, this is where you want to set smaller goals for each week. I like to do my weekly goals as action points/strategies to get us to our bigger goals. For example, if I know we need to sign 2 website clients to reach our revenue goal for the month, I’ll set a goal of pitching 10 businesses in the week. (These numbers will depend on your typical response rate so make sure you’re keeping track of that!)

Weekly goals like this is how you reach the bigger goals. It’s nice to have a goal set and check-in on where you are but if you’re not taking measurable, actionable steps, you most likely won’t hit those big goals!

Daily

Now that we have all that nitty gritty technical stuff out of the way, let’s talk about the daily actions you take to reach your goals. While I am a numbers person and will always obsessively check our analytics and numbers, what I do daily is much more about being in the right mindset. I’m a firm believer that you can’t reach your big, huge, lofty goals if you’re living in a negative mindset so I recommend finding a routine for your day that fills you with as much positivity as possible!

This doesn’t mean you’re not going to get annoyed or frustrated throughout the day or have to deal with difficult decisions and tasks. What it means is that you’ll be better equipped to deal with anything thrown your way once you upgrade your mindset!

Here are 3 things I do just about every single day to make sure I’m in the right mindset:

Head to the gym to either rock climb or lift: This is my own form of meditation. It’s the one time I can turn my brain off and focus on something else. This also starts my day off by accomplishing something (finishing a good climb or lifting) so I’m already feeling pretty confident when I start the work day!

Daily gratitude journal: I used to write down 3 things I’m grateful for each morning but now I use stream of consciousness and write down everything I’m grateful for that comes to mind until I can’t think of anything else.

Crystals: I use these as a visible reminder of my goals and to be in the present moment. Whenever something arises in the day, I’ll grab a stone (which one depends on the situation) and use it to bring me into the present moment. I also like to start my day by placing my selenite wand on my chest while I do my daily gratitude. Selenite is supposed to clear negative energy so it helps me start my day on a clear and positive note!

These are the things that work for me so they might not work for you or be of interest to you. The most important part of this is to find what works for you so you can live in a consistent state of positivity. I know this might sound a little woo woo to some of you but trust me, it’s a game changer for you and your goals.

Along with all the steps I’ve laid out above, another thing I’m trying this year is having my goals up on a white board so I can look at them daily. I’ll have my yearly goals at the very top with a line graph that I can fill in each month to see where we are, my word for the year, and a list of strategies that have proven to work for us. Then on the bottom half, I’ll have my monthly goals which I’ll redo each month. I’m excited to have these front and center and I have a feeling it’s going to be extra satisfying to fill in those line graphs each month and visually see us get closer and closer to achieving our goals!

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New year, new goals! Whether you've already written down your yearly goals and are already making progress, or you're still procrastinating.. now is the time to talk about them! While you can certainly set goals anytime of the year (which I totally encourage you to!), there is something about that new year energy that makes January an exciting time. Last week, Mallory and I had a 4-hour goal planning sesh -- yes really -- so the topic is fresh on my mind! After going through all of the numbers from last year and checking off lots of goals, and re-working a few others, there were a few things that stood out. So today I'm going to share 3 tips to consider when writing (or rewriting) some of your goals this year!

Set Goals that are Actionable

A lot of times when we write down goals we think about big picture, broad goals. Like, "I want to work with my ideal clients" or "I want to be more organized." Having broad goals have their place, but there's something to be said about setting actionable goals that are more specific. By getting specific and adding value (when possible) you'll have a clearer vision of what you are working towards, plus it will be a lot easier to know when you've accomplished your goal. So instead of the goals listed above, you could get more specific and make the following goals, "this year I want to work with 10 lifestyle bloggers and 20 women-owned small businesses," and, "before leaving my office for the weekend, I will make sure to clean up my desk and make sure everything is put in its place." Each are more specific giving you either a value or a schedule that you'll easily be able to track throughout the year.

Other important factors in making actionable goals is actually having an action plan to accomplish them. As simple as it sounds, creating the action plan (one that is reasonable) is where most of us fall short. There's a reason gyms are packed at the beginning of the new year and attendance starts to dwindle by the end of the month. We get amped up on one goal, go hard at it for awhile, and then burn ourselves out before we actually turn it into a habit. There has to be some balance or you'll never make it to the finish line. The same goes for business goals, sometimes we set the bar so high or set so many goals that we become overwhelmed and give up.. or we create so many goals that we have a tough time keeping track of them. Take the time to actually think about the goals you're making, create a plan of steps you need to do to accomplish said goals and then get to work! Which leads us to our next point..

Break Your Goals Down

I'm all for dreaming BIG, reallllll BIG, but sometimes we go too big and instead of motivating ourselves we end up with the opposite effect. Remember when we talked about taking on too much? If you really want to make progress you shouldn't be afraid to push yourself, but also make sure that your plan is sustainable! Something that really helps me is breaking down my goals. From yearly, to quarterly, to monthly, to weekly. What do you need to accomplish in each time period to reach your goals? When you break it up into smaller pieces and really think about the work involved it's a lot easier to put one foot in front of the other.

Something else that has been really helpful in our business is dedicating start dates and deadlines. Because we know we can only dedicate so much time to each goal, we have some focuses slated to start throughout the year. This adds to the tactic of breaking things down by allowing us to focus on different goals throughout the year that build upon each other -- phases if you may. By spacing things out a little bit too, you allow yourself to ease into each without feeling like you're juggling so many things.

Check-in and Track Your Progress

Last but not least, take the time to actually track your progress! It's so easy to write down goals an throw them in a drawer or filed away in your Google Drive. Out of sight, out of mind? That can certainly be an issue! Keep those puppies front and center! I like to write out a copy and have it right on my bulletin board next to my desk, where I have a daily reminder of just what I'm working towards.

Something else that is really helpful for us is to do quarterly check-ins. You can do them more frequently if you prefer, but we like to do quarterly because it allows us enough time to make some progress without feeling stressed about your benchmarks. It also allows you some time to notice patterns for what is working, what isn't and how you can improve for the next quarter. No matter what your process, just make sure to add those dates to your calendar and stick to them! So what do you say, ready to make some progress this year?! I know we are!

Have some other tips for sticking to your goals? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below!